This first appeared in AdNews in-print - the July Edition
For this issue's front cover, The Royals, AdNews Independent Agency of the Year 2017, took a thought–provoking and dark approach to the brief at hand. The poignant creative, with faceless organisations and a young innocent girl clutching the most personal item of all (her diary), is striking, clever and emotive. A nod to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and no doubt a strong contender for the cover of the year, once again AdNews is thrilled and grateful for the level of effort and creative brilliance.
In 2018, you can barely take a step without data oozing out of you, sucked into your smartphone and rocketed through your cellular network architecture into a plethora of buckets that you just hope aren’t leaky. From blood alcohol content, inhaler usage, menstrual cycles, sleep patterns, social media activity, cabs, flights, takeaway — it’s all out there and up for grabs.
Big, layered, deeply multifaceted, non–sensical or uniquely accurate, regardless of the flavour, it seems everyone wants the data.
While the data gold rush has hit many industries, adland seems perfectly poised to capitalise. From increased data tie–ups across the board, seeing more personalised ads and the likes of addressable TV, the focus on data has become all–consuming.
In our data and GDPR–focused feature on page 30, as CEO of data powerhouse Quantium Adam Driussi puts it, data should be treated like a “special gift”. But, with so many 'gifts' out there, can they all be looked after sufficiently?
Companies aside, the new data protection rules have seen consumers pelted with round after round of crude pop–ups, forcing them to agree to new terms and conditions if they wish to carry on, but who is taking the time to read all these new rules, and more so, who clicks to say no?
While the choices about how our data is collected and used are great, being unable to log into your accounts if you decline to accept the new terms, is not so great. Diversely, some US news brands even blocked access to their websites from Europe, instead opting to block readers rather than conform to the new stricter data laws.
Needless to say it’s a fascinating time of change in this data–led era. And this is just the beginning.
This month you will see tiny hints on our branded content pages, pre-empting the launch of our new division 1928 Content. We've been in the branded content business for a couple of years now, but thought it time to unleash it with the vigour of a startup, despite the fact we're proud to say AdNews is 90 years old. Get in touch for more info.
A small reminder that our Media + Marketing Summit in Melbourne is ready to go on 25 July. From an addressable TV panel with TV network bosses, to a unique Havas/World Vision case study and NAB and Clemenger discussing making their partnership work, a full program can be found on our site. Tickets still available.
Our July edition also features final contributions from our news editor Arvind Hickman who has been a great asset to the business. From his investigative features and breaking news items to taking part in industry charity UnLtd’s Bail Out and making national headlines with local stories, he’ll be missed at AdNews.
AdNews July 2018
